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I've been casually feeding and watching birds for the last few years but I think I'm ready to move from casual interest bird watcher to hobbyist.
We have all the regulars at the feeders this year plus some new visitors. Last week we saw Indigo Bunting twice, a Scarlet Tanager two days ago, we've got a pair of Red Shouldered Hawks nesting nearby and just now I heard a whippoorwill not too far off in the distance. I was so excited to hear it...DH not so much when I told him they are nocturnal.
Anyway, DS let it slip that I might be getting a bird journal for MD but I'd like to maybe join a birding group. I'm in UC and it would be great to find a birding group in the area.
I'm not in Charlotte (yet) and don't know of any birding groups but I have to say I am excited to find out what "new" kinds of birds you all have down there. I've lived in the midwest most of my life with the exception of 2 years in California... so I am sure there are lots of birds down south that I've never seen before. While an indigo bunting may be common down there, I've never seen one.
I have been keeping a list of the birds that I've seen at our feeders. We have a sunroom and I love to sit and bird watch. The binoculars are always out and ready for quick use. I bought a great bird book at Cost Co for like 14.99, it's called the Smithsonian Field Guide to Birds of North America. It's neat to read about them as some are just migrating through. Have a lot of Brown Headed Cowbirds right now. It's exciting when a new species drops in. Here are a few that I have only seen a few times or that have migrated through.
Pigeon Hawk Falcon
Red Tailed Hawk
Rose Breasted Grosbeak
Common Grackle
Dark Eyed Junco
Red Headed Woodpecker
Starling
I'm not in Charlotte (yet) and don't know of any birding groups but I have to say I am excited to find out what "new" kinds of birds you all have down there. I've lived in the midwest most of my life with the exception of 2 years in California... so I am sure there are lots of birds down south that I've never seen before. While an indigo bunting may be common down there, I've never seen one.
Silver, that was the first thing we did when we moved into our house was set up the birdfeeders. We absolutly love it. Being from CA we didn't have near the variety as here. The Blue Jays here are spectacular, it looks like someone painted on their tail feathers, in CA we only had the solid blue one's. The squirels love the birdfeeders so we have one springloaded feeder so when the squirel jumps on it covers the seed and then we splurged and bought a Droll Yankee Flipper, they have 3 or 4 kinds and of course we bought the one that spins at the bottom. Squirel grabs on and goes for a little ride. It provides some extra entertainment, how long will they stay on? LOL-check out their website.
I have a Purple Finch nest with 5 eggs in our hanging ferns.
I knew there had to be a Mocking Bird nest close by as they have been hovering near our front door and dive bombed DH's head a few times yesterday. Yesterday one of the Mocking Birds was really upset at one of our boxwoods (I think that's what the scrub is called) any who, my brother in law happened to be over and he looks and a snake head was sticking out! It was about a 2 foot black snake. It went from the bush into the Japanese Maple and that little bird was madder than a hornet, it was actually poking the snake. So DH got a wooden flap pole not being used and tried to relocate it but it fell back into the planter and we couldn't find it. So yesterday we located the Mocking Birds nest and it had 2 babies in it, DH looked this AM and they were gone so we figured the snake got them. But DH kept looking and it turns out they were both alive and had fallen out of the nest so we used a file folder and DH scooped them up and placed them back in the next. I shielded DH with a large umbrella so he wouldn't get dive bombed. So far so good.
DH was poking around some more and found a 3rd baby on the ground, so we safely put her back too. Momma has been back to the nest so we are going to keep an extra eye on them. We just have to watch out as she had gotten DH in the head several times.
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It provides some extra entertainment, how long will they stay on? LOL-check out their website.
It was about a 2 foot black snake. It went from the bush into the Japanese Maple and that little bird was madder than a hornet, it was actually poking the snake. So DH got a wooden flap pole not being used and tried to relocate it but it fell back into the planter and we couldn't find it. So yesterday we located the Mocking Birds nest and it had 2 babies in it, DH looked this AM and they were gone so we figured the snake got them. 
But DH kept looking and it turns out they were both alive and had fallen out of the nest so we used a file folder and DH scooped them up and placed them back in the next. I shielded DH with a large umbrella so he wouldn't get dive bombed. So far so good. 
